Nic will get all support he needs

NIC Maddinson will get all the support he needs during his time out of the game with mental health issues.

The Victorian batsman has withdrawn from Australia A’s tour match against Pakistan after becoming the latest national cricketer to seek help.

Cameron Bancroft has replaced Maddinson in the XI for the three-day clash starting today in Perth.

Maddinson’s decision was relayed to team management on Friday, and Cricket Australia confirmed that he will be given all the support he needs.

He has been in excellent form, notably scoring a doublecentury in last month’s Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia.

National batting coach Graeme Hick, who will oversee the Australia A side at Perth Stadium, said Maddinson would get plenty of help.

“Nic has made the right decision and we are all behind him,” Hick said. “It is braver to speak up than to suffer in silence and I applaud Nic for having the courage to put his health first.”

It comes after Glenn Maxwell last week withdrew from Australia’s T20 squad to address his own mental health struggles.

Will Pucovski was also given time away from Australia’s squad last summer to deal with well-being matters.

“Mental health is a challenge faced by Australian communities and elite sporting organisations and cricket is no different,” CA sport science boss Alex Kountouris said.

“Like other professional sports, we are working very hard to better understand the challenges faced by our players and staff so we can support them. We are all proud to work in an industry where players can feel safe to talk about these issues.”